Player-piano.



1. C. McPHAlL.

PLAYER PIANO, APRUCATION FLEn OCT. 25. sz.

Inva nr, John C. NIcPhail) Patented Sept. 1918.

tm ren STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JOHN o. MorHAIL, or SOUTH WEYMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS, AssIeNoR 'ro MCPHAIL PLAYER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or Bos'roN, MASSACHUSETTS, A conrorm p TION OF MASSACHUSETTS. v

PLAYER-PIANO.

Specification of Letters Patent. y y Patented Sept.'3, 1918.

Application filed October 25, 1917. SerialNo. 198,548.

n To aZZ'wwm it may concem:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. MGPHAIL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of South \Veymouth, in the county of Norfolk and Commonwealth of Massachusctts, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements .in Player-Pianos, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification,

This invention relates to that type of player pianos in which the action is operated through the agency of-air, and it has for its object the construction of improved removable pedals by which the air-pumping bellows are actuated.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pair of pedals embodying my inprovements. Fig. 2 is a side elev ation of the same, the lower 't'i-0nt part of a piano with which the same is connected being shown in section. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the two part rod for oining a pedal and the-associated bellows, one of the rod-sections being shown in section.

Referring to the drawings, the nuneral 1 designates a portion of the lower front part of a piano; and 2, one oi' the two pneumatic actuating bellows. The pedals 3 l prefer to construct from cast metal, hinging them on pivots l supported by lugs 5 rising from the base 6, also preferably of cast metal. Either all or parts of this base bar 6 has suitable felt or rubber pads 7 attached thcreto in order to protect any hardwood floors upon' which the same may be placed.

To keep the base bar 6 in correct relationship with respect to the piano, a slender bar 9 is pivotally secured at one end beneath the bottom frame 1 as shown in Fig. 2, by means of a screw 12, or otherwise, the other end of each bar 9 being bent to form a hook 10 adapted to be engaged with a suitable hole 11 at the corresponding end of the base bar 6.

hen the pedals are to be removed from the piano, the bars or rods 9 are disengaged from the base bar 6 and swung around beneath the member 1, practically out of si ght.

For connecting the pedals with the bellows 2, the rod 'for uniting each pedal with its bellows is formed in two sections, the section 14 which is joined to the bellows being for-med with a socket 15, and the section 16 which connects with the pedal being formed with a finger 17 snugly fitting the socket. The rod section'lG is shouldered about the base of itsfinger 17 to make the i The hole 19 through which each two-part e rod 14-16' passes in the member `1 is vertically elongated, as shown in Fig. 1,'and the rod itself is sonewhat 'curved, in order to allow for the up and down' movement of the pedal end thereof. Each hole'is also protected with a thimble 20, both for the sake of neatness in appearance, and for preventing wear of the' wood. When the bellows is in its normal collapsed position, the socket end of the rod section 14 is designed to rest substantally flush with the outer surface of the member 1. i

Since the bellows 2 is always in this type of player pianos provided with a spring for collapsing it, the action of the pedals is always a push and never a pull. Consequently, the two 'parts of each bar 14 -16 will always remain united until such tine as the pedals are to be removed, at which occurrence all that requires to be done is to detach the hooked ends of the rods 9 from the bar 6, swing them beneath the rods 14-16 apart.

Although I have shown in Fig. 1, and so described above, that the connecting* rods 16 pass through hOles 19 in the bottom frame l, I do not restrict myself to this Construction, for the reason that many people may pre'er to have their pianos unmarred by holes.- For such pianos, I have said rods adapted for going beneath the bottom frame, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the only change being a slightly increased curvature in the conneeting rods.

hausting means but a pull on the pedal withdraws it from connection therewith.

2. In a player piano having operative bellows, a pedal removably supported having piano, and pull the a two-part rod operatively connecting the pedal and bellows, one of said two parts having a socket, and the other having a finger adapted to be readily introduced into said socket.

3. In a player piano having a hole in its bottom frane and an air exhausting device behind the bottom frame, a base bar removably connected With said bottom frame, a pedal pivoted to said bottom frane, and a two part rod operatvely connecting said pedal With said air exhausting device, the part connected With said device having a longtudinally disposed socket, and the other part having a finger adapted to i'enovably enter said socket, both being movable in said hole.

4. In a player piano having a hole through its bottom frane, and an air exhausting de- .vice behind said bottom frame, a base bar detachably connected With said bottom frame, a pedal pivotally supported by said base bar, and a two part rod operatively connecting said pedal With said exhausting dev1ce, the part connected With said devce having a longtudinally disposed socket, and the other part having a figer adapted to renovably enter said socket, said two part rod passing through said hole and being adapted to present the juncture of the said parts fiush With the outer face of said hole When the exhausting devce is in its normal inoperative position.

5. In a player piano having a bottom frane and operative bellows, alpeda'l detachably connected With said bellows, a base pivotaily supporting said pedal and havinga hole ateach end, and two slender rods pivoted to the under surface of the bottom 'rane to Swing beneath the same, each rod having a hook adapted to be engaged With the hole at its associated end of the bar.

In testinony that I claim the foregoing nvention, I have hereunto set my hand this 23rd day of October, 1917.

JOHN C. MCPHAIL.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 'of Patent, washington, D. 0." 

